AUSTIN, Texas — According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, actor Matthew McConaughey has filed eight trademark applications to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office with clips of him smiling, talking and saying his famed “Alright, alright, alright,” from 1993’s “Dazed and Confused,” in an effort to prevent AI apps and users from using his likeness.
“My team and I want to know that when my voice or likeness is ever used, it’s because I approved and signed off on it,” the actor said in an email to the Wall Street Journal. “We want to create a clear perimeter around ownership with consent and attribution the norm in an AI world.”
Though his lawyers are yet unaware of any operators that are attempting to use his likeness, they are filing these trademarks to get ahead of any sort of commercialization of their client without his consent. They’re uncertain of how a judge would rule in any potential claim, but are securing the trademarks partially to deter any AI operators in advance.
“I don’t know what a court will say in the end. But we have to at least test this,” said McConaughey lawyer Kevin Yorn, according to the report. Yorn also represents many top Hollywood actors, including Scarlett Johansson and Zoe Saldaña.
There is, as of now, no federal law that would govern the use of a celebrity’s likeness without their consent, but a bill was introduced in Congress in 2024. It has yet to come to a vote.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source spectrumlocalnews.com ’
